OT: Tigers Sweep Indians with fantastic finish
Did you see the end of the Tiger game today? It was 5-5 and A-Jacks led off the 9th with a triple so all we need is a decent fly ball to win. Infante struck out, they walked Miggy & Prince to load the bases and Q-Berry hit into a 3-2-3 double play to end the threat. The Indians hit 2 homers in the 10th and took an 8-5 lead and I believe half the folks left Comerica Park. Our first 2 guys made outs in the 10th - down to our final out near the bottom of our lineup. Avila walked, Dirks walked, A-Jacks doubled to score Avila, Infante singled to score Dirks & A-Jacks to tie the game. Then Miggy hit a walk-off 2 run shot to win it 10-8 - all with 2 outs. GO TIGERS!!!
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=23651103&c_id=det&partnerI…
Gene Lamont is a genius.
Cleveland's manager should have walked Miggy and Prince again in the 10th. He done fucked up.
In the 9th jackson was at third so walking both of them didn't advance anybody, if somebody had gotten a single to score him there it would have scored him even if they hadn't walked miggy and prince. With infante on first, walking miggy then prince moves omar over to third and then a single wins the game. It seems like a poor call in hindsight when compared with the 9th but those open bases make the difference.
August 5th, 2012 at 10:11 PM ^
And you're both right; Either option could have worked; It really is a toss up and questioning the walks in the 10th isn't nearly as detrimental to Cleveland as the talk shows and internets are making it out to be.
Not a good idea to pitch to Cabrera, though completely understandable, just like in '84 when Dick Williams and Goose Gossage decided to go after Kirk Gibson.
Kirk Gibson Greatest Home Run Ever! 1984 Tigers... by danphxariz
It's poetically referred to as: "pick your poison".
It's sad that MLB is so anti-Youtube that you have to go elsewhere to find iconic MLB clips. A real gem from my childhood.
August 6th, 2012 at 11:05 AM ^
In addition, with Perez having trouble finding the strike zone, putting the winning run on 3rd opens up the possibility of losing on a wild pitch or a passed ball, or even a run-of-the-mill error on a sharp liner. I know managers get credits for wins than they deserve, but if Perez is unable to get outs from the 8 and 9 hitters for the Tigers, that's on him and not Acta.
Loading the bases in a tie game is very difficult to justify when your pitcher has walked the 8 and 9 hitters and is generally having trouble finding the zone. Furthermore, the only way that Cabrera can get the run home with the runner on first and the outfield playing back is with a homerun or a perfectly placed hit (or a misplayed ball, although that's more or less equally likely to happen with anyone up and a defensive with the bases loaded is more likely to let in the run). Thus, the percentages favor pitching to Cabrera in that specific situation. Unfortunately for Cleveland, Cabrera hit a bomb.
that was awesome. I went from swearing angrily to swearing happily in 5 minutes.
They have an incredible knack for driving in runs with 2 outs, especially Cabrera. He is money with RISP.
thanks for posting this!
Great selfless show by Cabrera, bringing AJ out for the interview. Looks like a tight clubhouse.
As much as Leyland can be frustrating with his old-school decisions and such, he seems very good at managing the clubhouse. His teams seem to generally have good chemistry. There was a poll of MLB players taken a little while ago asking "If you could have any manager besides your own, who would you choose?" and I think he won it.
Most entertaining regular season game since Tigers (Verlander No hit bid) vs Angels (Weaver), when Guillen watched his homer and got weaver tossed..... Gutsy much needed win though.
Perez made some disparaging comments about tribe fans not attending games early in the year.
Perez was also 100 percent correct in his comments as well. A first place team should have better attendance.
August 5th, 2012 at 10:26 PM ^
Leyland was ejected early in the game so blame McClendon for not calling for the squeeze
Should have run the squeeze in the ninth...Leyland is a great manager, but it kills me that he never calls this play, it seems.
Very few managers call the squeeze in any situation. Leyland is actually one of them (I think we had one last year). Other than Socia in LA, you're not going to find many guys who will risk it, especially since bunting at the big league level is not emphasized (for good reason).
Another point, why risk a squeeze and taking away your runner at third with zero outs when you have Cabrera and Fielder on deck? Even if you expect a walk to either or both, then you end up with the bases loaded and 1 outs, which is what happened.
Calling a squeeze and taking the bat out of Miguel's hands would have been a terrible move.
Besides, the infield was WAY in. It would have taken a perfect bunt to make it work.
August 6th, 2012 at 10:20 AM ^
#HALOL
That was a great ending but it should have been won in the bottom of the 9th.
I'm sure the 15,000 fans that left early are kicking themselves.
Disappointment it is. It wasn't like the playoffs were going to happen this year anyways.
At the end of the day it boils down to: Perez didn't have IT today and the Tigers made him pay. Just like Benoit didn't have IT today and the Tribe made him pay. That's baseball... gotta love it when things go your way. Blue Dragon OTOH...
Let us wallow in misery...together!
Would have thought with 2 outs and NOBODY on there would be no chance of a TIE but two walks, a double, and a clutch bloop single from Infante did the trick! And then we already knew by then if Cabrera was getting a pitch it would go over the fence. Best Tigers game of the year and the best one I've ever seen! More than half of the fans left...smh.
Have you ever heard an announcer give up on life while on-air?
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=23651449&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_23651449&v=3
If you listen carefully, you can actually pinpoint the second in which his heart rips in half.
August 5th, 2012 at 10:03 PM ^
Even with 20 seconds of silence, he still finds a way to be more informative than the Hawk.
August 5th, 2012 at 10:59 PM ^
Had to be right at the part where he talked about the "key play of the game" and he realized he was gonna have to watch the highlight of that homer again.
The Cleveland dugout shots (in both the Detroit and Ohio broadcasts) are pretty schadenfreudey too. You can watch the pain of losing ooze right out through the screen.
August 5th, 2012 at 11:25 PM ^
I demand more self-schadenfreude!
August 6th, 2012 at 12:01 AM ^
as SEATTLE right now in the WC, and only three games ahead of KC. Wasn't it just a couple weeks ago that we were in the thick of the race?
If anyone wants to know what it's like to be an Tribe fan, just think the Year of Infinite Pain, over and over and over again for the last 60 years. Except minus the New Math game*
*Yeah, I know, that 14-2 comeback and yadda yadda. Once in 60 years does not redemption make
And that is why I never leave sporting events.